Lasers, Terahertz & High frequency systems

‘Two wave sources are perfectly coherent if they have a constant phase difference and the same frequency.’

In a way, this condition sums up everything HÜBNER Photonics stands for. Coherence for us is far more than the perfect interaction of waves. It is the basis of our daily work and the fundament on which we build our business and our relations within our company and with our partners.

We not only make game-changing lasers and light sources, but also rethink all kinds of other wave technologies including terahertz imaging as well as high-frequency emission and radar. The proven corporate values of the HÜBNER Group are brought together with innovative ideas and top-notch technologies for the whole electromagnetic spectrum.

Coherence Matters is in our genes and our spirit – all day, every day.

Product Portfolio

High performance lasers, tailored to your needs

Through the well-known Swedish laser manufacturer Cobolt, a proven supplier of high performance lasers of more than 15 years, HÜBNER Photonics division offers one of the industry’s broadest ranges of compact single-frequency CW lasers, diode lasers and Q-switched lasers across the full UV-VisibleNIR spectrum. Using proprietary HTCure™ laser manufacturing technology the Cobolt lasers are associated with outstanding reliability and lifetime. Every light source you will ever need Complementing Cobolt’s broad portfolio of compact lasers. Combine the lasers in a highly flexible and extremly compact laser combiner. HÜBNER Photonics also offers one of the most unique kinds of lasers on the market – the award winning singlefrequency, CW, frequency doubled OPO, C-WAVE providing broadly tunable emission across the visible (and NIR) spectrum. By combining the competences across HÜBNER Photonics, volume manufacturing of exceptional laser designs with unparalleled reliability is a reality.

C-WAVE The tunable laser light source

C-WAVE is the tunable laser light source for continuous-wave (cw) emission in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range. Its technology is based on optical parametric oscillation (OPO) and it is fully computer controlled. Thus, it allows you to tune from blue to red and into the near-infrared without any change of dyes or optical components. This makes C-WAVE a flexible and user friendly laser for your applications.

Change the way you work
Visible, widely tunable, continuous-wave – for a long time this was equivalent to the handling of toxic dyes, to changing laser media or resonator mirrors or the restriction to narrow tuning ranges. C-WAVE is a solid state system
that has no consumable components such as dyes. The wavelength can be simply set at the computer. C-WAVE tunes itself automatically and guarantees superior beam quality as well as output stability across the whole tuning range – offering both high flexibility and precision at the same time. It offers you single frequency operation, narrow spectral linewidth and options for frequency stabilization combined with an unprecedented spectral coverage. Focus on your research, not on laser handling: C-WAVE helps you free your mind for your main tasks.

C-WAVE – tailored to your needs
Depending on the required output power level, C-WAVE is either pumped by an external single-frequency laser or comes with an integrated laser, making operation and application even easier for you.

Using software module AbsoluteLambda™ for C-WAVE enables precision and automatic frequency control with accuracy up to 2 MHz*.

C-FLEX The compact & flexible laser combiner

As a highly-flexible and extremely compact laser combiner, C-FLEX lets you combine up to 6 wavelengths out of more than 30 wavelengths available. The lasers can be controlled either separately1) or via common USB port2). C-FLEX is field-upgradeable and ready to mount DPSS or diode lasers of the Cobolt 06-01 & 04-01 Series as well as most common lasers for laser combiners on market3). The flexible design enables integration of optional.

DPSS lasers - Cobolt

Through the well-known Swedish laser manufacturer Cobolt AB, a proven supplier of high performance lasers of more than 15 years, HÜBNER Photonics division offers one of the industry’s broadest ranges of compact single-frequency CW lasers, diode lasers and Q-switched lasers across the full UV-Visible-NIR spectrum.

Cobolt supplies high performance lasers for stand-alone use or OEM integration in equipment for fluorescence analysis, Raman spectroscopy, interferometric metrology, micromachining and environmental monitoring. The Cobolt lasers are based on tailored nonlinear optical crystals for efficient frequency conversion and are manufactured in a compact and robust hermetically sealed package using proprietary HTCureTM Technology, which provides outstandingly high tolerance to demanding environmental conditions and ensured lifetime. Cobolt is a part of HÜBNER Photonics and is based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Diode lasers - Cobolt

Through the well-known Swedish laser manufacturer Cobolt AB, a proven supplier of high performance lasers of more than 15 years, HÜBNER Photonics division offers one of the industry’s broadest ranges of compact single-frequency CW lasers, diode lasers and Q-switched lasers across the full UV-Visible-NIR spectrum.

Cobolt supplies high performance lasers for stand-alone use or OEM integration in equipment for fluorescence analysis, Raman spectroscopy, interferometric metrology, micromachining and environmental monitoring. The Cobolt lasers are based on tailored nonlinear optical crystals for efficient frequency conversion and are manufactured in a compact and robust hermetically sealed package using proprietary HTCureTM Technology, which provides outstandingly high tolerance to demanding environmental conditions and ensured lifetime. Cobolt is a part of HÜBNER Photonics and is based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Q-switched lasers
- Cobolt

Through the well-known Swedish laser manufacturer Cobolt AB, a proven supplier of high performance lasers of more than 15 years, HÜBNER Photonics division offers one of the industry’s broadest ranges of compact single-frequency CW lasers, diode lasers and Q-switched lasers across the full UV-Visible-NIR spectrum.

Cobolt supplies high performance lasers for stand-alone use or OEM integration in equipment for fluorescence analysis, Raman spectroscopy, interferometric metrology, micromachining and environmental monitoring. The Cobolt lasers are based on tailored nonlinear optical crystals for efficient frequency conversion and are manufactured in a compact and robust hermetically sealed package using proprietary HTCureTM Technology, which provides outstandingly high tolerance to demanding environmental conditions and ensured lifetime. Cobolt is a part of HÜBNER Photonics and is based in Stockholm, Sweden.

Applications

We expand the capabilities of your application – both in research as well as industry. As a highly experienced system supplier of technical industrial products, HÜBNER Photonics is developing innovative technology to meet demands of the global market. In the fields of Laser Technology, Terahetrz Technology or High Frequency Systems, HÜBNER Photonics’ advanced analytical systems help to enhance human well-being and security, increase quality and efficiency in industrial processes and protect our environment.

Lasers for fluorescence microscopy

CW lasers in the visible range are widely used in fluorescence microscopy applications. The fluorescence from specific fluorophores or biomarkers is detected in confocal configurations enabling fast and high spatial resolution imaging of cells, organisms, sub-cellular structures and cell dynamics in live cells.

The resolution of these imaging techniques is fundamentally limited to ~200 nm by the diffraction limit of the laser (the Abbe principle). Over the last decades a number of so called super-resolution imaging techniques have been developed that are capable of going beyond the diffraction limit through manipulation of the fluorescence signal. Examples of super-resolution imaging techniques include STED, STORM, PALM, SIM and RESOLFT. These new techniques have enabled dynamic studies of microbiological structures at molecular level in live cells and have revolutionized the field of light microscopy.

Lasers for flow cytometry

Flow cytometers is a bioanalytical tool in which single or multiple cellular properties are determined by analyzing large populations of cells. In a standard configuration the fluorescence labelled cells pass through the laser beam in a hydro-dynamically focused jet stream in a flow cell.

More advanced systems can be used for Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS). Cytometry instruments are commonly used tools in the fields of hematology and immunology, and are used in biomedical research as well as in clinical diagnostics applications.

All Cobolt lasers offer high power, excellent beam quality and low noise, which are important properties in order to maximize resolution and sensitivity (often referred to in terms of a low CV value) of the instruments, and for applications with high throughput requirements.

Optogenetics solutions

Cobolt offers a range of high performance, reliable and user-friendly laser assemblies specifically tailored for advanced Optogenetics research. The laser assemblies have been developed in close collaboration with leading Optogenetics research labs and offer experiment-ready solutions for channelrhodopsin activation and halorhodopsin inhibition.

The Cobolt Optogenetics solutions include single-line lasers with stable and efficient coupling into multi-mode fibers, two lasers on a common platform launched into one common fiber coupler or two lasers sitting side by side launched into one fiber coupler each, suitable for 2-into-1 coupling using e.g. fused fibers. The lasers are available at various wavelengths matching the sensitivity peaks of the most popular Rhodopsins and with output powers >100 mW.

473 nm, 532 nm, 561 nm, 594 nm, 638 nm, 660 nm

>100 mW output power

Fast and high aspect ratio modulation up to 3 MHz (direct current modulation or integrated AOM)

Stable and efficient coupling into optical fibers

Single-line lasers or 2-line combiners

Compact high performance lasers advances Raman spectroscopy

The ”inelastic scattering of light,” or Raman effect, was observed in practice for the first time in 1928 by C.V. Raman for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930. In Raman spectroscopy an incident laser beam (in the UV visible-near IR spectral range) is frequency shifted by this inelastic scattering in the material or substance studied.

The frequency shift (Stoke shift) originates from interactions of the laser beam with molecular vibrations, phonons or other excitations in the material and the resulting spectrum provides quantitative and spatial information about the chemical compound distribution in the material. A main advantage of Raman spectroscopy is its capability to offer label-free biochemical and material analysis. The increasing availability of high performance compact DPSS lasers across a broad range of wavelengths from the UV to the NIR has strongly contributed to making Raman microscopes and spectrometers a powerful and increasingly popular analytical tool not only for material science in laboratory environment but also for on-line quality and process control in e.g pharmaceutical and semiconductor and chemical industries.

The Cobolt DPSS lasers on the 04-01, 05-01 and 08-01 platforms are perfectly suited for demanding Raman spectroscopy applications. Stable single-frequency operation combined with the ultra-robust thermo-mechnical architecture of HTCure provides narrow linewidth (<1MHz), extremely low spectral drift (<2 pm over 8 hs) and a spectral purity better than 60 dB, which allows for very high resolution Raman spectroscopy and a possibility to detect low frequency Raman signals even down in the THz regime.

Lasers for Doppler Velocimetry

Laser Doppler Velocimetry is a well established method for analysing particle movement at a single point, either in a gas or a liquid.
This information is typically collected using two intersecting collimated laser beams. The beams intersect and interfere in the region for analysis. The particles passing through this region reflect light and from this data it is possible to measure the Doppler shift and therefore velocity of the particles.

lasers for doppler velocimetry using LDVThe laser source suitable for such applications needs to have long coherence length, operate single longitudinal mode, and have good power and noise stability. Cobolt CW DPSS lasers are thus perfectly suited to such an application. In addition, Cobolt’s range of DPSS lasers also includes shorter wavelengths, such as 355nm, that can be used to give additional information about the size of the particles.

Lasers for Gas sensing

OPO-based PAS provides ultimately fast and sensitive trace gas analysis
The photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy (PAS) is a very promising technology for trace gas detection and analysis in environmental or atmospheric monitoring, industrial process control or medical diagnostics. PAS is based on exciting rotational and vibrational states of gas-molecules with infra-red light pulses.
The absorbed energy translates into kinetic energy pulses, which form an acoustic wave that can be detected with a microphone. In this way PAS can provide a sensitive and selective, compact and robust, multi-gas analyzer with wide dynamic range and fast response time. Recent development in technologies for MEMS fabricated cantilever microphones with optical laser readout combined with availability of new monochromatic and tunable mid-IR light sources with high output powers has enabled demonstration of PAS instruments with ppb-level sensitivity and very broad selectivity.

Lasers for Interferometry

The term interferometry comes from the word interference. Interference is a phenomenon that occurs when two waves of any kind come together at the same time and place.
Interferometry makes use of interference phenomena for measurement purposes, for example investigation into the flatness of an optical surface. Even though there are many different types of interferometers, all of them basically operate on the same principle. A beam of light comes from a single source and two or more flat mirrors are used to split off different light beams. These beams are then combined so that they interfere with each other. In order to get interference a highly coherent laser source is required. The more coherent the laser beam, or the longer the coherence length, the finer the detail that can be resolved in the interferometer.
All Cobolt DPSS lasers are single longitudinal mode, with coherence lengths >10m, and are thus a very suitable choice of laser for any interferometric application.

Lasers for ion trapping

In this applications note we read how the flexibility of the C-WAVE’s single frequency tunable wavelength can be utilized for ion trapping experiments.

Coulomb crystals consisting of isotopically pure Magnesium ions are build employing a new tunable continuous-wave (cw) laser light source: Mg atoms are isotope-selective ionized by resonant two-photon excitation at a wavelength of 285.3 nm. The UV laser light is generated via resonant second-harmonic generation of the output of a new cw laser C-WAVE that offers about 0.5 W single frequency output power that is tunable in the range 450 – 650 nm. The created Mg ions are trapped and cooled, building 2D Coulomb crystals which are used for further investigation.

Lasers for Gas sensing

OPO-based PAS provides ultimately fast and sensitive trace gas analysis
The photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy (PAS) is a very promising technology for trace gas detection and analysis in environmental or atmospheric monitoring, industrial process control or medical diagnostics. PAS is based on exciting rotational and vibrational states of gas-molecules with infra-red light pulses.
The absorbed energy translates into kinetic energy pulses, which form an acoustic wave that can be detected with a microphone. In this way PAS can provide a sensitive and selective, compact and robust, multi-gas analyzer with wide dynamic range and fast response time. Recent development in technologies for MEMS fabricated cantilever microphones with optical laser readout combined with availability of new monochromatic and tunable mid-IR light sources with high output powers has enabled demonstration of PAS instruments with ppb-level sensitivity and very broad selectivity.

Lasers for holography

The production of high quality holographic images has always relied on lasers with long coherence length and single mode properties in order to achieve stable interference for the entire exposure time.

Today holograms are not only appreciated as art works but they are also used for improved security measures, for instance on credit cards and bank notes, for real-time sub-micron measurements and for advanced presentation in 3D format.

Cobolt DPSS lasers are a very appropriate laser source for holography due to their extremely narrow linewidth, which translates to a long coherence length, very stable power and single mode properties. Stable single mode operation is particularly important for large area holograms where long exposure times are often required.

HÜBNER Photonics’ single frequency tunable laser, with output in the region 450 nm – 650 nm offers the perfect flexibility to select the exact wavelength for exposures, either as a stand alone laser source or as a 4th laser source in an RGB set-up.

Lasers for Optical Tweezers

Optical tweezers (originally called “single-beam gradient force trap”) are a bioanalytical instrument that makes use of a highly-focused laser beam to provide an attractive or repulsive force, depending on the refractive index mismatch to physically hold and move microscopic dielectric objects. Optical tweezers have become a well known and successful tool in studying a variety of biological systems.
The narrowest point of the focused beam, known as the beam waist, contains a very strong electric field gradient. It turns out that dielectric particles are attracted along the gradient to the region of strongest electric field, which is the center of the beam. The laser light also tends to apply a force on particles in the beam along the direction of beam propagation. By utilising this force it is possible to manipulate biological cells and even move them from one position to another.

A basic optical tweezer setup includes:
a laser, a beam expander, some optics used to steer the beam location in the sample plane, a microscope objective and condenser to create the trap in the sample plane, a position detector (e.g. quadrant photodiode) to measure bea m displacements an d a microscope illumination source coupled to a CCD camera (see Fig.1 on the right). All Cobolt DPSS lasers offer excellent beam quality and very low noise, which are extremely important properties of lasers used for optical tweezers

Lasers for nanophotonics

In this applications note we read how the flexibility of the C-WAVE’s single frequency tunable wavelength can be utilized in nanophotonics experiments.

‘The manipulation of highly localized ﬁ elds of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) forms the backbone for a vast ﬁ eld of applications. We investigate the SPPs excited on a single crystalline gold nanoplatelet milled with a plasmonic lens structure using a scattering type scanning near ﬁ eld optical microscope. SPPs are excited at different wavelengths in the visible regime employing a new tunable continuous wave source. Wave vector selection of the SPPs by the gold structures corresponded well with the numerically calculated dispersion relationship.’

Lasers for single molecule spectroscopy

In this applications note we read how the flexibility of the C-WAVE’s single frequency tunable wavelength can be utilized for single molecule spectroscopy experiments.

The ﬂuorescence excitation spectra of single organic molecules in a solid state crystal are measured at cryogenic temperatures. As a tunable laser light source, the optical parametric oscillator C-WAVE is employed. C-WAVE exhibits promising features as a laser light source for spectroscopy applications, like a broad tuning range from 450 to 650 nm, a narrow linewidth < 1 MHz, and mode-hopfree tuning over > 25 GHz. This report presents the experimental setup and measured spectra, and it discusses the applicability of C-WAVE for high-resolution spectroscopy.

Terahertz technology

Visualizing the invisible

Due to its non-invasive and non-ionizing properties, terahertz (THz) radiation is unparalleled in its sensing capabilities. Based on state-of-the-art research results, HÜBNER Photonics division developed innovative and highly compact plug & play systems – allowing contact-free detection, characterization and analysis as well as hyperspectral imaging of materials by THz spectroscopy within a few seconds.

Our Terahertz technology

State-of-the-art technology

Easy-to-use plug & play systems

Completely safe

Compact design

The extremely effective technology of HÜBNER Photonics spectrometers enables the detection of hidden objects and materials such as drugs and explosives in letters and small parcels as well as the identifi cation of fl aws and cavities in non-electrically conductive components. User-friendly, fast & secure Easy-to-use touchscreen based operations allow the analysis of your samples in no time. With their full automation of measurement processes, HÜBNER Photonics terahertz systems carry out extensive data set recordings with minimal personnel costs. As THz waves are completely safe, no expensive safety precautions are necessary.

T-SENSE - Terahertz imager

The Terahertz imager T-SENSE ® visualizes enclosed hazardous substances precisely in letters as well as small parcels safely and effectively.

The process is safe, fast and without risk to the health of the user. Unlike conventional visualizing processes such as x-ray technology, the T-SENSE ® functions on the lower Terahertz frequency level with safe millimeter waves that enable non-transparent materials to be illuminated.

The T-SENSE ® rapidly visualizes the objects to be examined and makes potentially dangerous contents visible. Since the device is highly sensitive, it even recognizes powders and adhesives.

Simple and intuitive application permits the device to be used with easy instructions. The scanning procedure shows a picture that is checked and analyzed by the user. The T-SENSE ® can be used anywhere, from the office to large postal centers. In combination with the T-COGNITION ® , the material recognized in the suspicious item can also be identified.

T-COGNITION - Terahertz spectrometer

The Terahertz-spectrometer T-COGNITION ® is an extremely effective security technology. It is based on the most up-to-date research results. With reliability and precision, T-COGNITION ® identifies hidden drugs and explosives in letters and small packages.

It is a fact that persons responsible for the security of public institutions and for the protection of prominent people are highly exposed to danger. T-COGNITION ® identifies threats with precision and dependability without the necessity of handling or opening the item in question. Within seconds, T-COGNITION ® identifies the spectroscopic fingerprint of the hazardous substance or material by comparing the data with its own database. This system enhances work safety in prisons, at custom controls, at authorities, in companies and embassies, to name but a few.

Safety for health and work
There is no need for precautionary measures to be taken by persons working in the supervised area. The THz waves employed by T-COGNITION ® have low energy levels and are, in contrast to x-rays, not ionizing.

User-friendly
The T-COGNITION ® can be used immediately after startup. Thanks to the easy-to-understand and intuitive operation, the user can be instructed easily and quickly. It is not necessary to hold long staff seminars for this purpose. The output log can be varied for individual customer requirements.

Individually adaptable
T-COGNITION ® can be „trained“ to recognize a great variety of dangerous substances. This means that it can also be useful for identifying substances in medication.

Optimized for investigation purposes
An item can be checked without opening it. This enables it to be forwarded on for police investigation purposes.

Mobile and flexible
Thanks to its small size and its light weight, T-COGNITION ® is easy to transport and can be used as and where needed. The device is modular in its construction and can therefore be adapted to specific customer requirements.

T-SENSE FMI - Terahertz imager for material inspection

Your products deserve maximum efficiency. HÜBNER, in close cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for High frequency physics and radar technology, has developed a new innovative measuring system: The HÜBNER Terahertz-imager T-SENSE FMI.

This highly efficient technology is based on the most recent research results. Production can be monitored and controlled at various levels. T-SENSE FMI uses millimeter waves in the lower terahertz range with no health risks involved. This means that the equipment can be used anywhere and for several purposes without the need for radiation protection.

T-SENSE can visualize process-related properties that are normally remain hidden to your eyes.

Possible applications:

Impurities visible through packaging

Monitoring of a fill-level

Monitoring of the bonding process

Monitoring of the drying process

Detecting shrinkage or cavities in non-metallic materials

and more

User-friendly
The stand-alone system, T-SENSE, is ready for use straight after set-up and start. Only a main connection is necessary. Simple and intuitive application software provides the device to be used with easy instruction.

Individually adaptable
The innovative measuring system can be specifically adapted to your production. We will be pleased to develop a tailor-made solution for your measuring requirements, including an individually adapted software solution for your specific needs. Your aim is our aim: a zero-defect production.

T-SPECTRALYZER - Terahertz spectrometer

The HÜBNER Terahertz-spectrometer opens up new dimensions in many fields of measurement applications. The mobile T-SPECTRALYZER ® was designed for quick set-up and for routine measurements in everyday analysis tasks. Only a mains connection is required to make the system ready to use without further infrastructure.

Due to latest technology, the terahertz spectrometer does not require any additional cooling or external gas supply. This ensures a cost-effective operation.

Individual expansion modules and an intuitive user interface support recording, processing and exporting your measurement results. Thanks to the touchscreen based user-friendly operation no time-consuming and costly training is required. As terahertz waves are completely safe no expensive safety precautions are necessary.

Within a few seconds the non-destructive and contact-free analysis of your samples is done. Full automation of your measurement process allows for extensive data sets to be taken without high personnel costs. Its standardized hardware and software interfaces seamlessly integrate the spectrometer into your existing network and process flow.

Possible applications:

Identification of substances even through plastic pipes and tubes and other packaging

T-SPECTRALYZER F - Terahertz spectrometer

T-SPECTRALYZER F is a plug & play thz-spectrometer that facilitates non-destructive and contact-free analysis of your samples.

Individual measurement modules and an intuitive user interface support the recording, processing and exporting of your measurement results. T-SPECTRALYZER F is a high-performance thz-spectrometer offering the frequency range 0.1 – 2.5 thz and a dynamic range of up to 54 dB*.

Short measurement times of 0.05s allow the monitoring of processes or spatial mapping of your samples. The operation is user-friendly – no time consuming training is required. The standardized hardware and software interfaces help you to integrate the spectrometer into your existing network and process flow. No safety precautions are necessary as terahertz waves are completely safe.

Possible applications:

The T-SPECTRALYZER F opens up new dimensions in many
fields of measurement applications, for example:

Determining the layer thicknesses of multi-layer systems

Identification of substances even through plastic pipes and tubes or other packaging